


That was an accident… I promise

by accidentallyonpurpose



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Awkward Flirting, Based on a Tumblr Post, M/M, Science Bros, Tony Stark Flirts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2015-05-31
Packaged: 2018-04-02 02:46:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4042783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/accidentallyonpurpose/pseuds/accidentallyonpurpose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on a science AUs tumblr post:</p><p>“I accidentally spilled hydrochloric acid on you so you really need to use the emergency shower and omg, if I knew you looked that good shirtless and wet I would have spilled it on you much earlier in the semester” au<br/>and<br/>“No one should look as good as you in safety goggles” au</p>
            </blockquote>





	That was an accident… I promise

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy! Leave kudos and comments at your leisure, I love them!

This class was boring and, yeah, maybe he shouldn’t have gotten quite so drunk last night or stayed up quite so late, but it had been a good party, and who even cared about basic level chemistry anyway? He had done most of these labs on his own at home at one point or another in his life; the class was practically useless, the only redeeming quality being his cute and quiet lab partner. They were about halfway through the semester, and he had yet to learn much about Bruce, besides his name and the fact that he was almost as good at this shit as Tony himself.   
“So Bruce,” he whispered, leaning close and disrupting Bruce’s setting up of that day’s experiment. “What kind of music do you listen to?”  
“Are you drunk right now?” Bruce asked suspiciously. Tony recoiled slightly before looking pensive.  
“No… I don’t… think so.” He squinted one eye and then the other thoughtfully. “Not anymore, anyway. Just hungover.”  
“Great, then you can help me set this up.” He handed Tony a beaker and a bottle of Hydrochloric Acid. “Measure out 150 mL please.”  
“Alright, alright, but seriously. Music?”  
“I don’t know, nothing particular I guess. I like mellow stuff, usually. Keeps me calm, you know?”  
“What, you mean you’re not always insanely calm and mellow? I don’t believe that.”   
A self-deprecating bark tore out of Bruce’s mouth. “You’d be surprised.” He reached out to grab the beaker of acid from Tony.  
“You know, I’ve already done this experiment like three times at home. So really, I could just accurately fudge the numbers. What say we split this joint and grab some coffee? I’m wiped.”  
“Yes, I can see that. However, I do actually need to get good grades in this class, and therefore must finish this experiment.”  
A sigh escaped on a huff of air. “Fine.” Tony grabbed a pair of goggles and slid them over his eyes, adjusting them until they sat comfortably on his nose. Bruce did the same, fidgeting with the elastic strap and pushing them up his nose. Tony’s mouth went dry as Bruce dropped his hand from his face. No one should look that good in safety goggles, especially ones that dwarfed their face. And yet there Bruce was, looking as charming as any prince from a fairytale.  
“Do I have something on my face?” Bruce asked, surreptitiously swiping at his nose.  
“No, no. You’re fine. You look… good. Science-y.”  
“Sure, whatever.” Bruce rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “Ready to start this thing?”   
“Whenever you are, Brucey.” This fatigue was really starting to get to Tony. The comment seemed to fluster Bruce even more, who let out a trilling chuckle before picking up the beaker.  
“Here goes nothing,” he said, brandishing the beaker in the air at Tony in a mocking toast. In his exuberance, he overshot and sent some of the liquid sloshing over the edge of the beaker and straight onto Tony’s shirt.   
Tony would later blame his slow response on the fatigue and hangover plaguing him. It took Bruce’s loud exclamation and him yanking Tony up by the arm to get him moving.   
“You’re going to need to use the emergency shower,” Bruce said in a panicked voice, pushing Tony bodily towards the shower in the corner.   
“Okay, I’m going, I’m going,” Tony said.  
“You’re going to need to take off your shirt as well.” They had now reached the shower, and Bruce started lifting the edge of Tony’s AC/DC tee, wanting to get it off him expediently.   
“Okay, okay, I can do it, thanks,’ Tony said, batting Bruce’s hands away and quickly stripping off the shirt. “This wasn’t exactly the morning wake up I had in mind, but it could be worse I suppose,” Tony commented conversationally as he pulled the lever that would start the shower. Cold water started pounding down on Tony.  
“I’m really sorry,” Bruce said, mortified.  
“No harm, no foul,” Tony reassured him, ducking his head quickly out of the fall of water before ducking back under it, furiously scrubbing at his chest. “Do you think that I got it all?”   
The commotion had drawn the attention of the rest of the class as well as the TA, prompting Tony to call out “Nothing to see here, keep moving folks.” The TA came over to the shower to ensure that proper procedures were being followed, and then wandered back to his desk to flip lethargically through his students’ work. The procedure involved Bruce watching Tony to make sure he scrubbed every inch of exposed skin. Not that Bruce minded that part of the job.  
Now that Bruce had gotten over his embarrassment and panic, he could appreciate the sight of a half-naked, well-muscled twenty-something in the shower in front of him. Despite his shivering, Tony looked good with the water sluicing down his back, his nipples perking under the cold pearls of water forming along his body. Bruce found himself shamelessly admitting to himself that if he had known that Tony looked that good shirtless and wet, he would have spilled it on you much earlier in the semester.  
“Yeah,” Bruce answered Tony belatedly, trying to suppress the squeak in his voice. “I think you’re good.” Bruce reached to the bar beside the shower and pulled the towel off, handing it to Tony. Tony accepted it gratefully and bent over, rubbing the towel roughly through his hair before giving his head a dog-like shake and rubbing off the rest of his upper body.  
“Sorry your pants are wet. That’s totally my fault,” Bruce said sheepishly.  
“Seriously, don’t worry about it Brucey. I needed the shower, anyway.”  
“Why do you always call me Brucey? We barely know each other.”  
“I like giving people nick names.” Tony shrugged it off. “So how about this experiment?”  
“You should probably just go home. I can do it myself.”  
“I’m not leaving you by yourself, Brucey. How about, instead, you come over to my place and we do the experiment in my personal lab.”   
Bruce was blindsided by the lightning paced change in conversation. “Are you… asking me over?”  
“Yeah, I believe that’s what just happened.”  
“I have Bio Chem 354 in an hour.”  
“Just-“  
“I’m not going to skip it,” Bruce interrupted.  
“Ugh, spoilsport,” Tony mumbled. “Fine, maybe later.” With a roguish wink, Tony picked up his books and swung out of the room, giving the TA a curt farewell wave before exiting the door.  
Bruce chuckled as he watched Tony’s retreating form, shaking his head at the energetic and unconnected way that the other man seemed to go through life. Glancing down at his open textbook and hoping to start on some of the theory part of the lab, Bruce noticed a scrap of paper with a phone number and   
“See you later ;)”


End file.
